A 10-2 win over St. Clair at the four-team round-robin tournament at ISG Park in Mankato on Saturday avenged the May 9 loss to the Cyclones and snapped a seven-game losing streak for the varsity boys.
“It’s awesome as a team getting that win,” said Blake Lyons, who coach Charlie Haugen penciled in at third base for the seven innings. “Getting that win near the end of the season and going into the playoffs is good for us all.”
Last week, the Clippers fell hard at home to section powerhouse New Ulm Cathedral 15-1 in five innings on Monday, to Heron Lake-Okabena 6-1 on the Gustavus field on Tuesday and to host Mountain Lake 8-4 on Thursday. In the first round of the tournament, the Clippers lost to St. James 14-4.
“We beat ourselves the last couple of games,” Lyons said. “Today we just showed up and were ready to play. The bats came through for us.”
The Cyclones switched on the scoreboard in the bottom of the first when their top-of-the-order runner reached second on an infield error, stole second and scored on a bunt single.
The Clippers immediately canceled the run when Kale Kelley led off the second with a walk, reached second on a Carson Lyons single and scored on a Blake Lyons single.
St. Clair took a brief one-run lead after two on a walk, a pickoff attempt that went awry and an RBI single.
It was all orange & black after that though. Caleb Connor tripled to start the third and scored when Miles Tomaszewski stroked a hard ground ball into left field. Tomaszewski, just an eighth grader, advanced on a Kelley single and a Kyle Connor ground out and scored the winning run on a Carson Lyons single.
The Clippers posted one more run in the fourth, three more in the fifth, one more in the sixth and two more in the seventh to bag and tag the triumph and up their record to 5-8.
The Clippers outhit St. Clair 12-5. Kyle Connor and his cousin Caleb each hit a single and a triple. Tomaszewski swung for a single and a double. Carson Lyons pounded two singles. Braeden Smith, Brennan Kortuem, Kelley and Blake Lyons each had a single. Kyle Connor, Tomaszewski and Blake Lyons each batted in a pair of runs.
The Clippers walked six times and struck out five times.
Brennan Kortuem staffed the hill for the first six innings. He gave up three hits for two runs, neither were earned. He walked eight and struck out three. In one inning pitched, Smith allowed two hits and one walk.
The Clippers had four errors, one more than St. Clair.
St James 14, Cleveland 4
With four runs in the second, the Clippers tied St. James 4-4, but it was all Saints after that with the winning run in the bottom of the second and five runs in the third and four more in the fourth to end the game in five.
Tomaszewski led off the second with a single and proceeded to third on a Kelley double. After Kyle Connor got hit by a pitch. Tomaszewski scored on a passed ball, and Kelley and Connor crossed the plate when Carson Lyons came up with a hard hit to center field. Lyons swiped second, advanced to third when the second baseman didn’t glove the pickoff throw and scored on a passed ball.
On two singles, a double, a hit batter and a sacrifice fly, the Saints scored four runs in the first. They went ahead in the second on a single with a stolen base and another single.
Carson Lyons, Brennan Kortuem and Tomaszewski all had a single. Kelley had a double. The Clippers truck out three times and never were issued a walk.
Alex Kortuem suffered the loss. In two innings, he allowed eight hits for 10 runs with six earned. He walked one, beaned one and struck out one.
Tomaszewski took over with the Clippers trailing 9-4 with no outs in the third. All three batters he faced flew out. With two outs, one run scored during his watch on a wild pitch, but it was charged to Kortuem. Carson Lyons closed. He gave up three hits, four runs and four earned runs while striking out one and walking one.
Each team made three errors.
Mountain Lake 8, Cleveland 4
The Clippers went in front 3-2 in the fifth when Blake Lyons doubled and scored when Brennan Kortuem dropped a line drive into left field.
But the Wolverines responded right away with three runs on an infield error, a single, a hit batter, another infield error, a walk and a wild pitch to take a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
Capitalizing on a pair of walks and a pair of single, the Wolverines put up three more runs in the sixth to lead 8-3. The Clippers managed a run in the seventh when Blake Lyons beat out an infield single, stole second and scored when Brennan Kortuem dropped a hit into center field.
Trailing 1-0, the Clippers posted two runs in the second. Tomaszewski got hit by a pitch. Gabe Sullivan hit into an outfield error, and both scored when Kelley hit into an infield error.
Mountain Lake scored a run in the first when the lead off batter singled, advanced to second on a balk, to third on a third-strike passed ball and home when the Clipper infield couldn’t handle a ground ball. With four walks in the second, they tied the game 2-2.
The Clippers outhit their opponent 7-4. Blake Lyons hit a single and a double. Brennan Kortuem hit two singles. Smith, Kelley and Tomaszewski each had one single. They struck out seven times and got no bases on balls.
Starter Blake Lyons threw the first three innings. He allowed one hit while walking four and beaning one for two runs, one unearned. He struck out four.
Sullivan started the fourth. He gave up two hits, three walks, hit one batter for six runs, half of them earned. He struck out three.
Kyle Connor took over the mound with no outs in the sixth. He permitted one hit and one walk and hit one batter while striking out two.
Both teams committed three errors.
Heron Lake-Okabena 6, Cleveland 1
Trailing 4-0, Cleveland’s run came in the second when Tomaszewski smacked a line drive to right field for a double. When Kelley singled, Tomaszewski advanced to third and scored when the Wildcats caught Kelley stealing.
The Wildcats scored a run in the first, three more in the second and two in the sixth.
Alex Kortuem tossed the first five innings and faced the first three batters in the sixth. He allowed seven hits and six runs but only two earned runs. He walked four, beaned one and struck out three. Kyle Connor came in relief. He gave up no runs, just one hit and struck out two in two innings pitched.
The Clippers totaled six hits. Sullivan doubled in the seventh. Kyle Connor singled in the second. Kelley had a base hit in the fifth for two singles on the night. Brennan Kortuem singled in the sixth.
The Clippers committed three errors, two more than the Wildcats.
New Ulm Cathedral 15, Cleveland 1
The Clippers’ lone run against the Greyhounds came in the fifth when Kelley led off with a walk, advanced to third on a Carson Lyons single and strolled home after Blake Lyons got hit by a pitch and Brennan Kortuem walked.
Cathedral scored a run in the first, seven runs in the second, two more in the fourth and five in the fifth.
With a hard-hit ball to centerfield in the second, Kelley had the only other hit for the Clippers. They fanned nine times and walked three times.
Caleb Connor started on the hill. He allowed eight hits for 10 runs, seven earned, while striking out six, beaning one and walking two. Carson Lyons took over at the start of the fifth inning. He gave up two hits for five runs, none of them earned, while striking out one and walking two.
The Clippers struggled with seven errors.
The Clippers travel to Waterville tonight for the last game of the regular season. No playoff date has been announced.
Above: Back in the lineup last week, Miles Tomaszewski’s bat has been lava hot. 
Carson Lyons throws the ball in from the outfield during the NUC game. Beside him is Alex Kortuem. 
Seniors Gabe Sullivan and Brady Bostic were recognized before the NUC game.
Kale Kelley, coach Charlie Haugen and Caleb Connor mimic the “dad stance” after the Cathedral game.
Carson Lyons fields a throw to second during the win over St. Clair. 
Kale Kelley sets up to grab a grounder down the left field line for an unassisted putout.
The Clippers rallied around bus driver Gary Michels after their win at ISG Field. Michels will retire at the end of this school year after 26 years of driving a large school bus for Cleveland school.
Kyle Connor lies down on the GAC turf to make a catch. (photo courtesy of Patty Sullivan)